Integration application utilizing a communications protocol

ABSTRACT

A computer system configured to facilitate communications over a plurality of communication platforms includes a chat monitor configured to monitor communications over a plurality of communication platforms; a parser coupled to the chat monitor and configured to detect whether a communication entered into a communication client corresponds to a communication protocol, the communication protocol including a protocol identifier and a plurality of primary protocol elements including a first user identifier and an instrument identifier; a protocol validator coupled to the parser and configured to validate communications corresponding to the communication protocol; and a database coupled to the protocol validator for storing validated communications. Each communication platform may be associated with a plurality of communication clients, and each communication platform may be configured to transmit communications between communication clients associated with the communication platform.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit as a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/141,345, filed Jan. 5, 2021,entitled, “INTEGRATION APPLICATION UTILIZING A COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL”,now U.S. Pat. No. ______, issued ______, which claims priority to andthe benefit as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/854,365, filed Dec. 26, 2017, entitled, “INTEGRATION APPLICATIONUTILIZING A COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL”, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,915,954,issued Feb. 9, 2021, the entirety of which are incorporated by referenceherein and relied upon.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present application relates to communications protocols and morespecifically to software and associated systems and methods for anintegration application utilizing a communications protocol overmultiple communication platforms.

BACKGROUND

An electronic exchange computing system, such as a futures exchange,such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (CME), provides a contractmarket where financial instruments, e.g., futures and options onfutures, are traded using electronic systems. Electronic trading offinancial instruments, such as futures contracts, is conducted by marketparticipants sending orders, such as to buy or sell one or more futurescontracts, in electronic form to the exchange. These electronicallysubmitted orders to buy and sell are then matched, if possible, by theexchange, i.e., by the exchange's matching engine, to execute a trade.Outstanding (unmatched, wholly unsatisfied/unfilled or partiallysatisfied/filled) orders are maintained in one or more data structuresor databases referred to as “order books,” such orders being referred toas “resting,” and made visible, i.e., their availability for trading isadvertised, to the market participants through electronicnotifications/broadcasts, referred to as market data feeds. An orderbook is typically maintained for each product, e.g., instrument, tradedon the electronic trading system and generally defines or otherwiserepresents the state of the market for that product, i.e., the currentprices at which the market participants are willing buy or sell thatproduct. As such, as used herein, an order book for a product may alsobe referred to as a market for that product.

An order book, which is also known as a central limit order book(“CLOB”) that consolidates orders in a central location, is used tomatch customer orders. Upon receipt of an incoming order to trade in aparticular financial instrument, whether for a single-componentfinancial instrument, e.g., a single futures contract, or for amultiple-component financial instrument, e.g., a combination contractsuch as a spread contract, a match engine, as described herein, willattempt to identify a previously received but unsatisfied order counterthereto, i.e., for the opposite transaction (buy or sell) in the samefinancial instrument at the same or better price (but not necessarilyfor the same quantity unless, for example, either order specifies acondition that it must be entirely filled or not at all).

Previously received but unsatisfied orders, i.e., orders which eitherdid not match with a counter order when they were received or theirquantity was only partially satisfied, referred to as a partial fill,are maintained by the electronic trading system in an order bookdatabase/data structure to await the subsequent arrival of matchingorders or the occurrence of other conditions which may cause the orderto be modified or otherwise removed from the order book.

If the match engine identifies one or more suitable previously receivedbut unsatisfied counter orders, they, and the incoming order, arematched to execute a trade there between to at least partially satisfythe quantities of one or both the incoming order or the identifiedorders. If there remains any residual unsatisfied quantity of theidentified one or more orders, those orders are left on the order bookwith their remaining quantity to await a subsequent suitable counterorder, i.e., to rest. If the match engine does not identify a suitablepreviously received but unsatisfied counter order, or the one or moreidentified suitable previously received but unsatisfied counter ordersare for a lesser quantity than the incoming order, the incoming order isplaced on the order book, referred to as “resting”, with original orremaining unsatisfied quantity, to await a subsequently receivedsuitable order counter thereto. The match engine then generates matchevent data reflecting the result of this matching process. Othercomponents of the electronic trading system then generate the respectiveorder acknowledgment and market data messages and transmit thosemessages to the market participants.

Unlike the CLOB method, traders in over-the-counter (“OTC”) marketsengage in bilateral transactions of standardized and unstandardizedderivative contracts, i.e., traders communicate with each other and arefree to choose counterparties. Bilateral transactions are negotiatedthrough a number of disparate communication platforms including brokers,telephone orders and transactions generated from social media and/orelectronic chat. When traders use different communication platforms forbilateral transactions, the potential liquidity from all the differentbids and offers proposed by traders is not pooled together. Discovery ofappropriate counteroffers is difficult. The disclosed embodimentsprovide for improved discovery and processing of bilateral transactionsover multiple incompatible communication platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a computer network system, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a general computer system, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an integration application, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a communication protocol structure,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts an example diagram of data flowing between communicationclients and an integration application, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts a high-level flowchart illustrating a method forimplementing an integration application, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed systems and methods relate generally to integratingcommunications over disparate communication platforms using a protocolthat standardizes communications over the disparate communicationplatforms. An integration application on each trader's computing devicemonitors communications across various communication platforms. Eachcommunication platform is associated with a plurality of communicationclients, where communication clients across the same communicationplatform can send messages to each other. Upon detecting the use of thecommunication protocol in a communication client of a specificcommunication platform, the integration application transmitsinformation entered by the trader into the communication client to acentralized database. The integration application also queries thedatabase for entries related to the communication protocol entered bythe trader, and presents, via the communication platform, informationrelated to the entries to the trader's display. The communicationprotocol may begin with a protocol identifier that signals the use ofthe communication protocol, and may also include protocol elementsrelated to the trader's communications. The communication protocol isindependent of the communication platform, and is standardized acrossall of the disparate communication platforms. The communication protocolmay also include protocol elements that signify agreement betweenparties to perform a transaction. Upon use of the agreement protocolelements, the negotiated communications are committed and automaticallytransmitted to a clearing house.

Traders in bilateral transactions communicate using differentcommunication platforms, including networked social media applications,or instant messaging or chat messaging (sometimes referred to as IM or“IMing”). Commercial messenger applications exist and are used frequencysuch as WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, AIM and WeChat, among others.Traders in bilateral transactions may also communicate using networkedsocial media applications, such a Twitter, or positing a message on aFacebook “wall”, Reddit, and/or other online forums. Proprietaryapplications exist as well and may be supported and maintained by anexchange or other entity. Such applications run on a number of differentplatforms including personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, PDAs orother environments. Chat differs from ordinary e-mail in that there isimmediacy in the message exchange. Chat makes a continued exchange ofmessages simpler than sending e-mail back and forth. Chat communicationsmay be text-only or include images or moving pictures. Chat may be usedto communicate instructions to a trader who in turn performs securitiestrading functions on behalf of clients. It is beneficial to use chatfunctions for communicating time-sensitive information as chat is nearinstantaneous. For more information on the use of messaging in afinancial context, see U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0182414 filedDec. 22, 2014 entitled “Electronic Messaging Management”, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/282,302 filed Sep. 30, 2016 entitled “ContextBased Messaging”, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/788,399 filedOct. 19, 2017 entitled “Message Encoding And Transmission AcrossMultiple Platforms”, all of which are assigned to the assignee of thepresent application, the entire disclosures of each of which isincorporated by reference herein and relied upon.

A user/trader must typically create a profile and register with acommunication platform in order to participate in chat conversationswith other registered users of that communication platform. A trader'scomputer that participates in a chat conversation over a communicationplatform is a communication client of that communication platform.Communication platforms are configured to enable chat sessions orcommunications between users of that communication platform. If users Aand B are both registered users of communication platform 1, users A andB can communicate with each other by installing communication platform 1software on their respective computers. If user C is not a registereduser of communication platform 1, user C cannot communicate with users Aand B using communication platform 1. Accordingly, although the abilityto use multiple different communication platforms increases flexibilityand convenience of communicating with a variety of different parties,the use of disparate communication platforms creates fractured marketsthat do not communicate with each other. Liquidity that exists over onecommunication platform is not visible to available to users of adifferent communication platform. Moreover, if a trader uses multipledifferent communication platforms, the trader must maintain and usedifferent software to communicate with each communication platform andmust also organize his or her trading strategies across allcommunication platforms.

The disclosed system may maintain a state of the market for variousfinancial instruments regardless of the communicationplatform/communication client into which the bid or ask, referred toherein as a communication, was entered. The disclosed embodiments maydetect the use of a communication protocol in any of the communicationclients, parse the communication, and update a centralized database thatmaintains the market state. The disclosed embodiments may also transmitto communication clients information about relevant financialinstruments.

Without the disclosed embodiments, each user would have to register,maintain and utilize separate accounts and modes of access for eachcommunication platform, which may be cumbersome and inconvenient.Moreover, users would likely find themselves entering redundantcommunications into multiple communication clients. For example, a userinterested in CrudeOil may decide, despite the inconvenience, to enterproposals or quotes in Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter. Then, the userwould need monitor and reconcile communications via each of thosedisparate communication clients. When all of the various users acrossthe world using a variety of different communication platforms areconsidered, it becomes apparent that there exist numerous fracturedmarkets that have no easy way to discover each other and form largerpools of liquidity. As is known in the art, a larger pool of liquidityfor a given market increases the likelihood that orders are matched andtrades are executed, increasing the satisfaction of the users/traders aswell as the exchange computing system.

Communication platforms may provide some level of interoperability witheach other, e.g., Facebook and Yahoo Chat may agree to transfercommunications to each other. However such interoperability is complex,because it requires the two communication platforms to work closelytogether to allow data from one communication platform to flow,preferably seamlessly, to another communication platform. Communicationplatforms are often incentivized to gain users and popularity byretaining some level of exclusivity and independence from othercommunication platforms. Moreover, communication platforms agreeing toprovide interoperability with each other is not preferable because usersstill need to depend on action and cooperation between communicationplatforms. If two communication platforms have not entered into anagreement to share users, user profile data, messages, settings andother valuable information, the users have no way to discover eachother, and no way to discover pools of liquidity associated with eachuser.

Modern electronic communications networks, such as the Internet,facilitate the arbitrary creation of new modes of communications as wellas independent/siloed methods of utilizing/accessing those modes whichreadily facilitates segregation/isolation of communications among usersof each mode/method from users of other modes/methods. Prior modes ofcommunication were limited, e.g. face to face, telephone, etc., forcingconsolidation of users and their communications but also enabling readyaccess to such communications, etc. The disclosed embodiments addressthese technical problems caused by modern communications networks.

One exemplary environment where integrating chat communications isdesirable is in financial markets, and in particular, electronicfinancial exchanges, such as a futures exchange, such as the ChicagoMercantile Exchange Inc. (CME). In particular, an exchange may offermultiple products and contracts for purchase that may be entered intousing the order tickets.

A financial instrument trading system, such as a futures exchange, suchas the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. (CME), provides a contractmarket where financial instruments, e.g., futures and options onfutures, are traded using electronic systems. “Futures” is a term usedto designate all contracts for the purchase or sale of financialinstruments or physical commodities for future delivery or cashsettlement on a commodity futures exchange. A futures contract is alegally binding agreement to buy or sell a commodity at a specifiedprice at a predetermined future time. An option contract is the right,but not the obligation, to sell or buy the underlying instrument (inthis case, a futures contract) at a specified price within a specifiedtime. The commodity to be delivered in fulfillment of the contract, oralternatively the commodity for which the cash market price shalldetermine the final settlement price of the futures contract, is knownas the contract's underlying reference or “underlier.” The terms andconditions of each futures contract are standardized as to thespecification of the contract's underlying reference commodity, thequality of such commodity, quantity, delivery date, and means ofcontract settlement. Cash settlement is a method of settling a futurescontract whereby the parties effect final settlement when the contractexpires by paying/receiving the loss/gain related to the contract incash, rather than by effecting physical sale and purchase of theunderlying reference commodity at a price determined by the futurescontract, price. Options and futures may be based on more generalizedmarket indicators, such as stock indices, interest rates, futurescontracts and other derivatives.

An exchange may provide for a centralized “clearing house” through whichtrades made must be confirmed, matched, and settled each day untiloffset or delivered. The clearing house may be an adjunct to anexchange, and may be an operating division of an exchange, which isresponsible for settling trading accounts, clearing trades, collectingand maintaining performance bond funds, regulating delivery, andreporting trading data. One of the roles of the clearing house is tomitigate credit risk. Clearing is the procedure through which theclearing house becomes buyer to each seller of a futures contract, andseller to each buyer, also referred to as a novation, and assumesresponsibility for protecting buyers and sellers from financial loss dueto breach of contract, by assuring performance on each contract. Aclearing member is a firm qualified to clear trades through the clearinghouse.

The clearing house of an exchange clears, settles and guarantees matchedtransactions in contracts occurring through the facilities of theexchange. In addition, the clearing house establishes and monitorsfinancial requirements for clearing members and conveys certain clearingprivileges in conjunction with the relevant exchange markets.

The clearing house establishes clearing level performance bonds(margins) for all products of the exchange and establishes minimumperformance bond requirements for customers of such products. Aperformance bond, also referred to as a margin requirement, correspondswith the funds that must be deposited by a customer with his or herbroker, by a broker with a clearing member or by a clearing member withthe clearing house, for the purpose of insuring the broker or clearinghouse against loss on open futures or options contracts. This is not apart payment on a purchase. The performance bond helps to ensure thefinancial integrity of brokers, clearing members and the exchange as awhole. The performance bond refers to the minimum dollar depositrequired by the clearing house from clearing members in accordance withtheir positions. Maintenance, or maintenance margin, refers to a sum,usually smaller than the initial performance bond, which must remain ondeposit in the customer's account for any position at all times. Theinitial margin is the total amount of margin per contract required bythe broker when a futures position is opened. A drop in funds below thislevel requires a deposit back to the initial margin levels, i.e., aperformance bond call. If a customer's equity in any futures positiondrops to or under the maintenance level because of adverse price action,the broker must issue a performance bond/margin call to restore thecustomer's equity. A performance bond call, also referred to as a margincall, is a demand for additional funds to bring the customer's accountback up to the initial performance bond level whenever adverse pricemovements cause the account to go below the maintenance.

The exchange derives its financial stability in large part by removingdebt obligations among market participants as they occur. This isaccomplished by determining a settlement price at the close of themarket each day for each contract and marking all open positions to thatprice, referred to as “mark to market.” Every contract is debited orcredited based on that trading session's gains or losses. As prices movefor or against a position, funds flow into and out of the tradingaccount. In the case of the CME, each business day by 6:40 a.m. Chicagotime, based on the mark-to-the-market of all open positions to theprevious trading day's settlement price, the clearing house pays to orcollects cash from each clearing member. This cash flow, known assettlement variation, is performed by CME's settlement banks based oninstructions issued by the clearing house. All payments to andcollections from clearing members are made in “same-day” funds. Inaddition to the 6:40 a.m. settlement, a daily intra-day mark-to-themarket of all open positions, including trades executed during theovernight GLOBEX®, the CME's electronic trading systems, trading sessionand the current day's trades matched before 11:15 a.m., is performedusing current prices. The resulting cash payments are made intra-day forsame day value. In times of extreme price volatility, the clearing househas the authority to perform additional intra-day mark-to-the-marketcalculations on open positions and to call for immediate payment ofsettlement variation. CME's mark-to-the-market settlement system differsfrom the settlement systems implemented by many other financial markets,including the interbank, Treasury securities, over-the-counter foreignexchange and debt, options, and equities markets, where participantsregularly assume credit exposure to each other. In those markets, thefailure of one participant can have a ripple effect on the solvency ofthe other participants. Conversely, CME's mark-to-the-market system doesnot allow losses to accumulate over time or allow a market participantthe opportunity to defer losses associated with market positions.

While the disclosed embodiments may be discussed in relation to futuresand/or options on futures trading, it should be appreciated that thedisclosed embodiments may be applicable to any equity, fixed incomesecurity, currency, commodity, options or futures trading system ormarket now available or later developed. It should be appreciated that atrading environment, such as a futures exchange as described herein,implements one or more economic markets where rights and obligations maybe traded. As such, a trading environment may be characterized by a needto maintain market integrity, transparency, predictability,fair/equitable access and participant expectations with respect thereto.For example, an exchange must respond to inputs, such as trader orders,cancelations, etc., in a manner as expected by the market participants,such as based on market data, e.g., prices, available counter-orders,etc., to provide an expected level of certainty that transactions willoccur in a consistent and predictable manner and without unknown orunascertainable risks. In addition, it should be appreciated thatelectronic trading systems further impose additional expectations anddemands by market participants as to transaction processing speed,latency, capacity and response time, while creating additionalcomplexities relating thereto. Accordingly, as will be described, thedisclosed embodiments may further include functionality to ensure thatthe expectations of market participants are met, e.g., thattransactional integrity and predictable system responses are maintained.

As was discussed above, electronic trading systems ideally attempt tooffer an efficient, fair and balanced market where market prices reflecta true consensus of the value of products traded among the marketparticipants, where the intentional or unintentional influence of anyone market participant is minimized if not eliminated, and where unfairor inequitable advantages with respect to information access areminimized if not eliminated.

Although described below in connection with examples involvinginstruments having multiple components, such as calendar and butterflyspread instruments, the methods described herein are well suited fordetermining final values for any variety of objects conforming to a setof rules or relationships.

Generally, the disclosed embodiments may be applicable to any computerprocessing system that is constrained by a variety of rules and datavalues. When a computer processor attempts to compute a large number ofdata sets in an environment including rules constraints and dataconstraints, the number of possible solutions or combinations of valuescan become unwieldy. The disclosed embodiments allow for the computerprocessing system to accurately parse and efficiently provide ordertickets to users. The disclosed embodiments allow for greater efficiencyfor end users, less processing time spent on parsing, and quickergeneration of orders allowing the market to function efficiency.

The disclosed embodiments may be applicable to contracts for any type ofunderlier, commodity, equity, option, or futures trading system ormarket now available or later developed. The disclosed embodiments arealso not limited to intra-market spread instruments, and accordingly mayalso be used in connection with inter-market spread instruments forcontracts associated with different commodities.

While the disclosed embodiments may be described in reference to theCME, it should be appreciated that these embodiments are applicable toany exchange. Such other exchanges may include a clearing house that,like the CME clearing house, clears, settles and guarantees all matchedtransactions in contracts of the exchange occurring through itsfacilities. In addition, such clearing houses establish and monitorfinancial requirements for clearing members and convey certain clearingprivileges in conjunction with the relevant exchange markets.

The disclosed embodiments are also not limited to uses by a clearinghouse or exchange for purposes of generating an order ticket. Thedisclosed embodiments may be used for monitoring multiple messages andbuilding a transaction or function based on information included withina set of separate messages.

The methods and systems described herein may be integrated or otherwisecombined with various risk management methods and systems, such as therisk management methods and systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,769,667entitled “System and Method for Activity Based Margining” (the '667Patent”), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein and relied upon. For example, the methods and systems describedherein may be configured as a component or module of the risk managementsystems described in the above-referenced patent. Alternatively, oradditionally, the disclosed methods may generate data to be provided tothe systems described in the above-referenced patent. For example, thesettlement prices determined by the disclosed embodiments may beincorporated into margin requirement(s) determined by the riskmanagement method or system.

In one embodiment, the disclosed methods and systems are integrated orotherwise combined with the risk management system implemented by CMEcalled Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk™ (SPAN®). The SPAN systembases performance bond requirements on the overall risk of theportfolios using parameters as determined by CME's Board of Directors,and thus represents a significant improvement over other performancebond systems, most notably those that are “strategy-based” or“delta-based.” Further details regarding SPAN are set forth in the '667Patent.

The embodiments may be described in terms of a distributed computingsystem. The particular examples identify a specific set of componentsuseful in a futures and options exchange. However, many of thecomponents and inventive features are readily adapted to otherelectronic trading environments. The specific examples described hereinmay teach specific protocols and/or interfaces, although it should beunderstood that the principles involved may be extended to, or appliedin, other protocols and interfaces.

It should be appreciated that the plurality of entities utilizing orinvolved with the disclosed embodiments, e.g., the market participants,may be referred to by other nomenclature reflecting the role that theparticular entity is performing with respect to the disclosedembodiments and that a given entity may perform more than one roledepending upon the implementation and the nature of the particulartransaction being undertaken, as well as the entity's contractual and/orlegal relationship with another market participant and/or the exchange.

An exemplary trading network environment for implementing tradingsystems and methods is shown in FIG. 1. An exchange computer system 100receives messages that include orders and transmits market data relatedto orders and trades to users, such as via wide area network 126 and/orlocal area network 124 and computer devices 114, 116, 118, 120 and 122,as will be described below, coupled with the exchange computer system100.

Herein, the phrase “coupled with” is defined to mean directly connectedto or indirectly connected through one or more intermediate components.Such intermediate components may include both hardware and softwarebased components. Further, to clarify the use in the pending claims andto hereby provide notice to the public, the phrases “at least one of<A>, <B>, . . . and <N>” or “at least one of <A>, <B>, . . . <N>, orcombinations thereof” are defined by the Applicant in the broadestsense, superseding any other implied definitions here before orhereinafter unless expressly asserted by the Applicant to the contrary,to mean one or more elements selected from the group comprising A, B, .. . and N, that is to say, any combination of one or more of theelements A, B, . . . or N including any one element alone or incombination with one or more of the other elements which may alsoinclude, in combination, additional elements not listed.

The exchange computer system 100 may be implemented with one or moremainframe, desktop or other computers, such as the example computer 200described below with respect to FIG. 2. A user database 102 may beprovided which includes information identifying traders and other usersof exchange computer system 100, such as account numbers or identifiers,user names and passwords. An account data module 104 may be providedwhich may process account information that may be used during trades.

A match engine module 106 may be included to match bid and offer pricesand may be implemented with software that executes one or morealgorithms for matching bids and offers. A trade database 108 may beincluded to store information identifying trades and descriptions oftrades. In particular, a trade database may store informationidentifying the time that a trade took place and the contract price. Anorder book module 110 may be included to compute or otherwise determinecurrent bid and offer prices, e.g., in a continuous auction market, oralso operate as an order accumulation buffer for a batch auction market.A market data module 112 may be included to collect market data andprepare the data for transmission to users.

A risk management module 134 may be included to compute and determine auser's risk utilization in relation to the user's defined riskthresholds. The risk management module 134 may also be configured todetermine risk assessments or exposure levels in connection withpositions held by a market participant.

The risk management module 134 may be configured to administer, manageor maintain one or more margining mechanisms implemented by the exchangecomputer system 100. Such administration, management or maintenance mayinclude managing a number of database records reflective of marginaccounts of the market participants. In some embodiments, the riskmanagement module 134 implements one or more aspects of the disclosedembodiments, including, for instance, principal component analysis (PCA)based margining, in connection with interest rate swap (IRS) portfolios,as described below.

An order processing module 136 may be included to decompose delta-based,spread instrument, bulk and other types of composite orders forprocessing by the order book module 110 and/or the match engine module106. The order processing module 136 may also be used to implement oneor more procedures related to clearing an order.

A settlement module 140 (or settlement processor or other paymentprocessor) may be included to provide one or more functions related tosettling or otherwise administering transactions cleared by theexchange. Settlement module 140 of the exchange computer system 100 mayimplement one or more settlement price determination techniques.Settlement-related functions need not be limited to actions or eventsoccurring at the end of a contract term. For instance, in someembodiments, settlement-related functions may include or involve dailyor other mark to market settlements for margining purposes. In somecases, the settlement module 140 may be configured to communicate withthe trade database 108 (or the memory(ies) on which the trade database108 is stored) and/or to determine a payment amount based on a spotprice, the price of the futures contract or other financial instrument,or other price data, at various times. The determination may be made atone or more points in time during the term of the financial instrumentin connection with a margining mechanism. For example, the settlementmodule 140 may be used to determine a mark to market amount on a dailybasis during the term of the financial instrument. Such determinationsmay also be made on a settlement date for the financial instrument forthe purposes of final settlement.

In some embodiments, the settlement module 140 may be integrated to anydesired extent with one or more of the other modules or processors ofthe exchange computer system 100. For example, the settlement module 140and the risk management module 134 may be integrated to any desiredextent. In some cases, one or more margining procedures or other aspectsof the margining mechanism(s) may be implemented by the settlementmodule 140.

An integration application 314 may be included to provide one or morefunctions relating to monitoring and validating communications over aplurality of different communication platforms. The integrationapplication 314 may generate order tickets from validatedcommunications. The integration application 314 may monitorcommunications directly or indirectly. The integration application 314may reside on the exchange and may communicate with integration clientsthat are integrated with chat applications located at each communicationclient. The integration application 314 may be implemented at the serverof a chat service provider. The integration application 314 may beconnected to the exchange over a network.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more modulesdescribed herein may be implemented using, among other things, atangible computer-readable medium comprising computer-executableinstructions (e.g., executable software code). Alternatively, modulesmay be implemented as software code, firmware code, specificallyconfigured hardware or processors, and/or a combination of theaforementioned. For example, the modules may be embodied as part of anexchange 100 for financial instruments. It should be appreciated thedisclosed embodiments may be implemented as a different or separatemodule of the exchange computer system 100, or a separate computersystem coupled with the exchange computer system 100 so as to haveaccess to margin account record, pricing, and/or other data. Asdescribed above, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented as acentrally accessible system or as a distributed system, e.g., where someof the disclosed functions are performed by the computer systems of themarket participants.

The trading network environment shown in FIG. 1 includes exemplarycomputer devices 114, 116, 118, 120 and 122 which depict differentexemplary methods or media by which a computer device may be coupledwith the exchange computer system 100 or by which a user maycommunicate, e.g., send and receive, trade or other informationtherewith. It should be appreciated that the types of computer devicesdeployed by traders and the methods and media by which they communicatewith the exchange computer system 100 is implementation dependent andmay vary and that not all of the depicted computer devices and/ormeans/media of communication may be used and that other computer devicesand/or means/media of communications, now available or later developedmay be used. Each computer device, which may comprise a computer 200described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 2, may include acentral processor, specifically configured or otherwise, that controlsthe overall operation of the computer and a system bus that connects thecentral processor to one or more conventional components, such as anetwork card or modem. Each computer device may also include a varietyof interface units and drives for reading and writing data or files andcommunicating with other computer devices and with the exchange computersystem 100. Depending on the type of computer device, a user caninteract with the computer with a keyboard, pointing device, microphone,pen device or other input device now available or later developed.

An exemplary computer device 114 is shown directly connected to exchangecomputer system 100, such as via a T1 line, a common local area network(LAN) or other wired and/or wireless medium for connecting computerdevices, such as the network 220 shown in FIG. 2 and described belowwith respect thereto. The exemplary computer device 114 is further shownconnected to a radio 132. The user of radio 132, which may include acellular telephone, smart phone, or other wireless proprietary and/ornon-proprietary device, may be a trader or exchange employee. The radiouser may transmit orders or other information to the exemplary computerdevice 114 or a user thereof. The user of the exemplary computer device114, or the exemplary computer device 114 alone and/or autonomously, maythen transmit the trade or other information to the exchange computersystem 100.

Exemplary computer devices 116 and 118 are coupled with a local areanetwork (“LAN”) 124 which may be configured in one or more of thewell-known LAN topologies, e.g., star, daisy chain, etc., and may use avariety of different protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, etc. Theexemplary computer devices 116 and 118 may communicate with each otherand with other computer and other devices which are coupled with the LAN124. Computer and other devices may be coupled with the LAN 124 viatwisted pair wires, coaxial cable, fiber optics or other wired orwireless media. As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary wireless personaldigital assistant device (“PDA”) 122, such as a mobile telephone, tabletbased compute device, or other wireless device, may communicate with theLAN 124 and/or the Internet 126 via radio waves, such as via Wi-Fi,Bluetooth and/or a cellular telephone based data communicationsprotocol. PDA 122 may also communicate with exchange computer system 100via a conventional wireless hub 128.

FIG. 1 also shows the LAN 124 coupled with a wide area network (“WAN”)126 which may be comprised of one or more public or private wired orwireless networks. In one embodiment, the WAN 126 includes the Internet126. The LAN 124 may include a router to connect LAN 124 to the Internet126. Exemplary computer device 120 is shown coupled directly to theInternet 126, such as via a modem, DSL line, satellite dish or any otherdevice for connecting a computer device to the Internet 126 via aservice provider therefore as is known. LAN 124 and/or WAN 126 may bethe same as the network 220 shown in FIG. 2 and described below withrespect thereto.

Users of the exchange computer system 100 may include one or more marketmakers 130 which may maintain a market by providing constant bid andoffer prices for a derivative or security to the exchange computersystem 100, such as via one of the exemplary computer devices depicted.The exchange computer system 100 may also exchange information withother match or trade engines, such as trade engine 138. One skilled inthe art will appreciate that numerous additional computers and systemsmay be coupled to exchange computer system 100. Such computers andsystems may include clearing, regulatory and fee systems.

The operations of computer devices and systems shown in FIG. 1 may becontrolled by computer-executable instructions stored on anon-transitory computer-readable medium. For example, the exemplarycomputer device 116 may store computer-executable instructions forreceiving order information from a user, transmitting that orderinformation to exchange computer system 100 in electronic messages,extracting the order information from the electronic messages, executingactions relating to the messages, and/or calculating values fromcharacteristics of the extracted order to facilitate matching orders andexecuting trades. In another example, the exemplary computer device 118may include computer-executable instructions for receiving market datafrom exchange computer system 100 and displaying that information to auser. In another example, the exemplary computer device 118 may includea non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions forpredicting and/or publishing a current response time or current matchengine latency as described herein.

Numerous additional servers, computers, handheld devices, personaldigital assistants, telephones and other devices may also be connectedto exchange computer system 100. Moreover, one skilled in the art willappreciate that the topology shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example andthat the components shown in FIG. 1 may include other components notshown and be connected by numerous alternative topologies.

Referring to FIG. 2, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem 200 is shown. The computer system 200 can include a set ofinstructions that can be executed to cause the computer system 200 toperform any one or more of the methods or computer based functionsdisclosed herein. The computer system 200 may operate as a standalonedevice or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computersystems or peripheral devices. Any of the components discussed above,such as the processor 202, may be a computer system 200 or a componentin the computer system 200. The computer system 200 may be specificallyconfigured to implement a match engine, margin processing, payment orclearing function on behalf of an exchange, such as the ChicagoMercantile Exchange, of which the disclosed embodiments are a componentthereof.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 200 may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a client-serveruser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 200 can alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner,a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particularembodiment, the computer system 200 can be implemented using electronicdevices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, whilea single computer system 200 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the computer system 200 may include aprocessor 202, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. The processor 202 may be a component ina variety of systems. For example, the processor 202 may be part of astandard personal computer or a workstation. The processor 202 may beone or more general processors, digital signal processors, specificallyconfigured processors, application specific integrated circuits, fieldprogrammable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analogcircuits, combinations thereof, or other now known or later developeddevices for analyzing and processing data. The processor 202 mayimplement a software program, such as code generated manually (i.e.,programmed).

The computer system 200 may include a memory 204 that can communicatevia a bus 208. The memory 204 may be a main memory, a static memory, ora dynamic memory. The memory 204 may include, but is not limited to,computer readable storage media such as various types of volatile andnon-volatile storage media, including but not limited to random accessmemory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electricallyprogrammable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory,flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. In oneembodiment, the memory 204 includes a cache or random access memory forthe processor 202. In alternative embodiments, the memory 204 isseparate from the processor 202, such as a cache memory of a processor,the system memory, or other memory. The memory 204 may be an externalstorage device or database for storing data. Examples include a harddrive, compact disc (“CD”), digital video disc (“DVD”), memory card,memory stick, floppy disc, universal serial bus (“USB”) memory device,or any other device operative to store data. The memory 204 is operableto store instructions executable by the processor 202. The functions,acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described herein may beperformed by the programmed processor 202 executing the instructions 212stored in the memory 204. The functions, acts or tasks are independentof the particular type of instructions set, storage media, processor orprocessing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware,integrated circuits, firm-ware, micro-code and the like, operating aloneor in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may includemultiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

As shown, the computer system 200 may further include a display unit214, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emittingdiode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, a cathode raytube (CRT), a projector, a printer or other now known or later developeddisplay device for outputting determined information. The display 214may act as an interface for the user to see the functioning of theprocessor 202, or specifically as an interface with the software storedin the memory 204 or in the drive unit 206.

Additionally, the computer system 200 may include an input device 216configured to allow a user to interact with any of the components ofsystem 200. The input device 216 may be a number pad, a keyboard, or acursor control device, such as a mouse, or a joystick, touch screendisplay, remote control or any other device operative to interact withthe system 200.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 2, the computer system200 may also include a disk or optical drive unit 206. The disk driveunit 206 may include a computer-readable medium 210 in which one or moresets of instructions 212, e.g., software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 212 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 212 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the memory 204 and/orwithin the processor 202 during execution by the computer system 200.The memory 204 and the processor 202 also may include computer-readablemedia as discussed above.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions 212 or receives and executes instructions 212responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to anetwork 220 can communicate voice, video, audio, images or any otherdata over the network 220. Further, the instructions 212 may betransmitted or received over the network 220 via a communicationinterface 218. The communication interface 218 may be a part of theprocessor 202 or may be a separate component. The communicationinterface 218 may be created in software or may be a physical connectionin hardware. The communication interface 218 is configured to connectwith a network 220, external media, the display 214, or any othercomponents in system 200, or combinations thereof. The connection withthe network 220 may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernetconnection or may be established wirelessly as discussed below.Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the system200 may be physical connections or may be established wirelessly.

The network 220 may include wired networks, wireless networks, orcombinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephonenetwork, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, or WiMax network. Further, thenetwork 220 may be a public network, such as the Internet, a privatenetwork, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, and may utilize avariety of networking protocols now available or later developedincluding, but not limited to, TCP/IP based networking protocols.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification may be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments ofthe subject matter described in this specification can be implemented asone or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein. The computer readablemedium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readablestorage substrate, a memory device, or a combination of one or more ofthem. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates anexecution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., codethat constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, or a combination of one or moreof them.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium or adistribution medium and other equivalents and successor media, in whichdata or instructions may be stored.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated or otherwise specificallyconfigured hardware implementations, such as application specificintegrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardwaredevices, can be constructed to implement one or more of the methodsdescribed herein. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments can broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. One or more embodiments describedherein may implement functions using two or more specific interconnectedhardware modules or devices with related control and data signals thatcan be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions ofan application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the presentsystem encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to suchstandards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and otherpacket switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP,HTTPS) represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards areperiodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards andprotocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed hereinare considered equivalents thereof.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andanyone or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded inanother device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS)receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable forstoring computer program instructions and data include all forms ofnon-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way ofexample semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Theprocessor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a devicehaving a display, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystaldisplay) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboardand a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the usercan provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used toprovide for interaction with a user as well. Feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback. Input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can beimplemented in a computing system that includes a back end component,e.g., a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., anapplication server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., aclient computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browserthrough which a user can interact with an implementation of the subjectmatter described in this specification, or any combination of one ormore such back end, middleware, or front end components. The componentsof the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digitaldata communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a widearea network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Asystem may depend on certain rules, logic, and inter-related objects anddata. In technical and computing environments, a system may calculatevalues for multiple objects subject to rules, e.g., business orenvironment logic, associated with the objects. Certain object types mayalso depend on other object types.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 300 includingcommunication platforms 302 and 304. System 300 includes communicationclients 306 and 308 that are registered with communication platform 302and have installed thereon communication platform 302 software thatenables communication clients 306 and 308 to communicate with each otherover communication platform 302. System 300 also includes communicationclients 310 and 312 that are registered with communication platform 304and have installed thereon communication platform 304 software thatenables communication clients 310 and 312 to communicate with each otherover communication platform 304.

Communication platforms 302 and 304 are not configured to allow crossplatform communications. For example, communication platform 302 may beWhatsApp®, and communication platform 304 may be Facebook®. A traderinterested in a financial instrument may advertise his trading strategyin communication platform 302 using communication client 306, e.g., in agroup chat, and other communication clients 308 may automaticallyreceive the entered trading strategy, or entered communications.

System 300 includes integration application 314 that is configured tocommunicate with each of the communication clients 306, 308, 310 and312. In particular, the integration application 314 is configured tocommunicate with an integration client that is installed on each of thecommunication clients. As shown in FIG. 3, communication clients 306,308, 310 and 312 include integration clients 307, 309, 311 and 313,respectively. The integration client may be implemented as anapplication programming interface or a graphical user interface on eachcommunication client. The integration client may be software installedon a communication client that is permissioned, e.g., by the chatplatform software installed on the communication client, to transmitcommunications entered into the communication client to integrationapplication 314.

Integration application 314 includes chat monitor 316, communicationsparser 318, protocol validator 320, and database 322. The integrationapplication 314 may be connected to systems or machines outside theexchange system. The integration application 314 may communicate withusers, traders, and brokers outside of the exchange system, such as viawide area network 126 and/or local area network 124 and computer devices114, 116, 118, 120 and 122. The integration application 314 may beconfigured to monitor chat communications entered into a plurality ofcommunication clients over a plurality of communication platforms, parsethe communications and identify a communication protocol, validatecommunications using the communication protocol, and transmit validatedcommunications between communication clients of different/incongruentcommunication platforms. The integration application may be configuredto store communications using the communication protocol in database322, and retrieve previously entered communications that use thecommunication protocol and relate to a particular instrument, e.g., afinancial instrument. The integration application 314 may be implementedin part as an application on one of the computer devices 114, 116, 118,120 and 122. The integration application 314 may be part of the exchangecomputer system 100.

The chat monitor 316 may be configured to monitor communications enteredinto the communication clients 306, 308, 310 and 312 across the multiplecommunication platforms 302 and 304. The communications parser 318 maybe configured to parse communications that are monitored by the chatmonitor 316. The protocol validator 320 may be configured to determinewhether communications that use the communication protocol conform tothe communication protocol. The communication protocol may include aplurality of elements, including primary elements, supplementaryelements, and resolution elements, as discussed in further detail inconnection with FIG. 4. When a validated communication includesresolution elements from two different communication clients, theintegration application may transmit orders for execution to a clearinghouse computer system, generate order confirmations, and transmit theorder confirmations to the communication clients.

The chat monitor 316 may be implemented as a separate component or asone or more logic components, such as on an FPGA which may include amemory or reconfigurable component to store logic and a processingcomponent to execute the stored logic, or as first logic, e.g. computerprogram logic, stored in a memory, such as the memory 204 shown in FIG.2 and described in more detail above with respect thereto, or othernon-transitory computer readable medium, and executable by a processor,such as the processor 202 shown in FIG. 2 and described in more detailabove with respect thereto, to cause the chat monitor 316 to, orotherwise be operative to, monitor a plurality of communications. Thechat monitor may be configured to communicate with integration clientsinstalled on communication clients. As described above, the integrationclient may be software installed on a communication client that ispermissioned, e.g., by the chat platform software installed on thecommunication client, to transmit communications entered into thecommunication client to the chat monitor 316. The chat monitor 316 mayaccordingly be configured to receive communications entered intodifferent communication clients on different communication platforms.

The communications parser 318 may be implemented as a separate componentor as one or more logic components, such as on an FPGA which may includea memory or reconfigurable component to store logic and a processingcomponent to execute the stored logic, or as first logic, e.g. computerprogram logic, stored in a memory, such as the memory 204 shown in FIG.2 and described in more detail above with respect thereto, or othernon-transitory computer readable medium, and executable by a processor,such as the processor 202 shown in FIG. 2 and described in more detailabove with respect thereto, to cause the communications parser 318 to,or otherwise be operative to, identify from the plurality ofcommunications, use of the communication protocol.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example implementation of a communication protocolstructure 400 used in conjunction with the disclosed integrationapplication. Protocol structure 400 includes a protocol identifier 402,primary protocol elements 404, supplementary protocol elements 406, anda resolution element 408. Implementing communication protocol structure200 contemplates the use of delimiters to demarcate each field/element,so that datum can be isolated from each other and extracted by thecommunications parser 318. The use of delimiters and templates incommunication protocol structure 400 may enable the structure to bereadily extensible.

As will be described in further detail below, some of the elements ofthe protocol may be required elements, and others may be optional. Someelements may be necessary to transmit communications from onecommunication client to another communication client. Other elements ofthe communication protocol 400 may be required to complete an orderbetween two users utilizing communication clients over twodisparate/different communication platforms.

The communication protocol may be specifically implemented to enablemore efficient and improved bilateral transactions in OTC markets. Thecommunication protocol may be a nested protocol that may allow for usersof communication clients to add an increasing amount of information insubsequent communications conforming to the communication protocol. Asshown in FIG. 4, primary protocol elements may include a user identifier410 and a financial instrument identifier 412. The financial instrument412 may specify a commodity, quality, and/or expiration for a financialinstrument. Supplementary protocol elements 406 may include a quantity414, price 416, and a directionality/side (e.g., long or short, or buyor sell) 418. Supplementary protocol elements 406 may also include acounterparty user identifier field 420, which lets a user specify whichother user is being specifically targeted in a communication. Theresolution element 408 may allow a user to specify whether a proposedtransaction is agreed to, confirmed, or canceled.

Each user that uses the communication client/communication protocols mayneed to register with the exchange computing system 100 before using thecommunication protocol. The protocol validator may check/validatewhether a user submitting a communication including the communicationprotocol is a registered user of the communication client.

The communications parser 318 may use a standard off the shelf or aproprietary parser. The communications parser 318 may only parse asingle line at a time (e.g. a line by line parser). The communicationsparser 318 may parse and identify communications as using, or invoking,the communication protocol based on a protocol identifier, which may bea symbol or character, e.g., #. Those skilled in the art will realizethat many other additional characters may be utilized to as a protocolidentifier to signal the use of the communication protocol.

The communication protocol may include many different fields separatedby delimiters. In one embodiment, “_” is a delimiter for separatingprotocol elements. A delimiter may separate data elements within a givencommunication protocol structure. Those skilled in the art will realizethat many other additional characters may be utilized to represent adelimiter such as characters “[”, “]” and “}”.

The communication protocol may be of variable length with data elementsshortened or extended in length, as well as included or not present on areal-time per communication basis. In other words, communicationsincluding only a subset of the elements illustrated in communicationprotocol structure 400 may be considered to be a valid communication,i.e., a communication that conforms to the disclosed communicationprotocol which can be parsed by the parser 318.

The protocol validator 320 may be implemented as a separate component oras one or more logic components, such as on an FPGA which may include amemory or reconfigurable component to store logic and a processingcomponent to execute the stored logic, or as first logic, e.g. computerprogram logic, stored in a memory, such as the memory 204 shown in FIG.2 and described in more detail above with respect thereto, or othernon-transitory computer readable medium, and executable by a processor,such as the processor 202 shown in FIG. 2 and described in more detailabove with respect thereto, to cause the protocol validator 320determine whether a communication using the protocol identifier 402 is avalid communication. In one embodiment, a communication that uses theprotocol identifier may only be considered valid if the communicationalso includes the primary elements of communication protocol 400. Forexample, in one embodiment, the protocol validator 320 may validate acommunication that only includes elements 402 and 404. For example, acommunication may comprise:

Communication 1: #Ay428_CrudeOil

where # is the protocol identifier and _ is a delimiter separatingvarious protocol elements. Based on the use of the protocol identifier402, namely, #, parser 318 identifiers communication 1 as acommunication including two elements. The first element, identified bythe parser 318 as the content between # and _, is detected as the useridentifier 410, namely, “Ay428”. The second element is the instrumentidentifier 412, namely, “CrudeOil”.

The protocol validator 320 validates communication 1 because itcorrectly utilizes the communication protocol 400 by including theprotocol identifier 402 and the primary elements 404, and in particular,a user identifier and an instrument identifier.

It should be appreciated that the protocol validator 320 uses a specificset of rules to validate a communication. The validation rules maydepend on the contents of the communication. In one embodiment, oneruleset for a communication is that it must include the protocolidentifier and the primary protocol elements. Alternatively, or inaddition thereto, if a communication includes a resolution element, thenthe communication must also include supplementary protocol elements.

In operation, the integration application detects the use of theprotocol identifier 402 in a new communication entered into acommunication client. Upon determining that the use of the communicationprotocol is valid, the integration application 314 adds thecommunication to the database 322. The integration application may alsoretrieve other previously received communications from the databasebased on the instrument identifier and transmits the retrievedcommunications to the communication client.

One or more of the functions ascribed to the integration application 314may be performed by the integration clients installed on eachintegration client. Accordingly, the integration client and theintegration application should be understood to work together and sharedata and resources as necessary. For example, the monitor 316, parser318 and validator 320 may be a part of each of the integration clients.The integration clients are configured to communicate information toeach other and may do so by way of the integration application, whichmay be a centralized application for sharing data between the pluralityof integration clients.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example diagram that illustrates an example dataflow between communication clients and the integration application. Thecommunication clients may be clients for any of the variety ofcommunication platforms discussed herein, e.g., text messaging, instantmessaging, social media applications, etc. The communication clients mayallow for direct messaging (e.g., person to person) or may enable groupchats (e.g., one to many communications). As shown in FIG. 5, acommunication C1 is entered into the communication client 306.Communication C1 may include protocol identifier 402, e.g., “#”.Communication C1 may comprise:

C1: #Ay428_CrudeOil

C1 indicates that a user Ay428 is interested in bilaterally transactingon a financial instrument CrudeOil. At stage S501, integration client307, installed on the communication client 306 as described above,transmits the communication to the integration application 314.Integration application monitors all communications entered into thecommunication clients via the integration clients. The integrationapplication detects communication C1 as using the protocol identifier402. Alternatively, as described above, the integration client 307installed on the communication client 306 may detect the use of theprotocol identifier 402. The integration application validates the useof the protocol identifier, e.g., ensures that the communication C1includes the primary elements (which may be required elements) 404.

The integration application maintains, in database 322, a list of allregistered users interested in the financial instrument CrudeOil. Theintegration application also validates that user Ay428 is a registereduser of the integration application. The integration application updatesdatabase 322 to include C1 after validating C1.

A communication C2 is entered into the communication client 310. Asdescribed above communication client 310 is on a different communicationplatform than communication client 306. Communication C2 may alsoinclude protocol identifier 402, e.g., “#”. Communication C2 maycomprise:

C2: #Gr625_CrudeOil.

C2 indicates that a user Gr625 is interested in bilaterally transactingon a financial instrument CrudeOil. At stage S502, integration client311, installed on the communication client 310 as described above,transmits the communication to the integration application 314. Theintegration application updates database 322 to include C2 aftervalidating C2. The integration application also searches for the uniquefinancial instrument identifier in C2, namely, CrudeOil, in the database322, and retrieves previously entered communications related to thatfinancial instrument, i.e., the integration application retrieves C1.

At stage S503, the integration application transmits C1 to communicationclient 310. C1 may be displayed in a display or user interfaceassociated with communication client 310. The chat application may bethe same chat application into which the user associated withcommunication client 310, e.g., Gr625, entered communication C2.

As described above communication clients 306 and 310 are on twodifferent communication platforms 302 and 304, respectively, which arenot configured to communicate with each other. Accordingly, thecommunication client 310 now has received information about CrudeOilentered into a communication client 306 by user Ay428 on a differentcommunication platform.

In one embodiment, the communications C2 may also be transmitted tocommunication client 306. For example, user Ay428 may be associated witha user profile stored in database 322. User Ay428's profile may specifythat any communications received by the integration applicationsubsequent to and within a certain time after a communication entered byAy428 should be sent to user Ay428. Accordingly, if C2 is received byintegration application 314 within a certain time after C1 is receivedby integration application 314, integration application 314 transmits C2to communication client 306.

The user of communication client 310, upon receiving C1, may enter in acommunication client C3 into communication client 310. Communication C3may comprise:

C3: #Gr625_CrudeOil_500_12_buy

In particular, communication C3 includes a previously enteredcommunication, namely, C2, followed by additional supplemental elements.For example, user Gr625, after learning of Ay428's activity regardingthe financial instrument CrudeOil (e.g., activity related to C1), may beinterested in proposing/advertising a more specific transaction forCrudeOil, where the additional specificity is listed in the supplementalelements “500_12_buy” of C3. In particular, supplemental elements500_12_buy indicate transaction level details proposed by user Gr625,e.g., that the user is interested in buying 500 units (or lots, orshares) at a price of 12 of the financial instrument CrudeOil.

User Gr625's communication client may be configured to allow the user tosimply click on, or touch, or otherwise interact with C2 so as to beable to easily copy and paste C2 into the communication client. The usercan thereafter add/append the supplemental elements to the copied andpasted instance of C2, before sending communication C3 to theintegration application. Alternatively, the user Gr625 may retype, e.g.,using a keyboard (implemented in hardware or software), the contents ofthe previous communication C2, and thereafter add/append thesupplemental elements to the retyped instance of C2, before sendingcommunication C3 to the integration application.

At stage S504, communication C3 is transmitted to the integrationapplication. The specific format of C3 is detected by the integrationapplication. For example, the integration application's parser may beconfigured to detect five different communication protocol elementsseparated by delimiter “_” following the protocol identifier “#”. Theintegration application updates database 322 to include C3 aftervalidating C3. The communication parser 318 detects that C3 includessupplementary elements.

In one embodiment, the integration application 314 may transmitcommunications including supplementary elements for a particularfinancial instrument to any communication clients that have previouslytransmitted communications for that financial instrument. Accordingly,the integration application routes communication C3 at stage S505 tocommunication client 306. Communication C3 may be displayed on a userinterface device, e.g., display, associated with communication client306.

User Ay428 (e.g., the user associated with communication client 306) mayagree to the transaction proposed by user Gr625 via C3. User Ay428 mayenter communication C4 into the communication client 306. If user Ay428agrees to the transaction proposed in C3, communication C4 may comprise:

C4: #Ay428_CrudeOil_Gr625_CrudeOil_500_12_buy_!

In particular, communication C4 includes previously enteredcommunications, namely, C1 appended by, or followed by, C3, followed bya resolution element “!”. In the specific communication protocoldisclosed herein, a resolution element may allow a user to signalcommitment to, or a rejection of, a proposed transaction. “!” may be acommitment element. If a user disagreed to a proposed transaction, theuser may use a different resolution element, e.g., “%”, that signalsnon-agreement.

At stage S506, communication C4 is transmitted to the integrationapplication. Integration application validates communication C4, e.g.,by confirming that the protocol elements present in C4 conform to thecommunication protocol 400. Because C4 includes a resolution element,integration application 314 transmits, at stage S507, C4 tocommunication client 310.

In one embodiment, upon detecting the resolution element in C4, theintegration application checks if the communications detectedin/referenced in C4 are still active communications/quotes in thedatabase 322. If for example Gr625 has canceled the trade proposed inC3, protocol validator 320 may not validate C4.

Upon receiving communications C4, user Gr625 may enter communications C5into the communication client 310. Communication C5 may comprise:

C5: #Ay428_CrudeOil_Gr625_CrudeOil_500_12_buy_!_!

In particular, communication C5 includes previously enteredcommunications, namely, C4, appended by, or followed by anotherresolution element “!” At stage S508, communication C5 is transmitted tothe integration application. Integration application validatescommunication C5, e.g., by confirming that the protocol elements presentin C5 conform to the communication protocol 400. In particular, theintegration application detects two resolution elements in C5, namely,the “!” entered in by Gr625 in response to the “!” entered in by userAy428 (as part of communication C4). Thus, the integration applicationdetects that both users have agreed to the proposed bilateraltransaction. The integration application may generate confirmationmessages and transmit same to the two users Ay428 and Gr625. Theintegration application may send the completed order, which both partieshave agreed to, to a clearinghouse.

In one embodiment, the integration application may only validatecommunications that signal agreement and commitment if thecommunications are entered within a certain amount of time of eachother. For example, the integration application may only validate C5,and thus cause execution of bilateral transaction, if C5 is receivedwithin a timeframe, e.g., one minute, after sending C4 to communicationclient 310. This time limit may be configurable. Alternatively, thistime limit for signaling commitment may be fixed for all registeredusers of the integration application.

In one embodiment, if user Ay428 had disagreed or rejected thetransaction proposed by user Gr625 in communication C3, communication C4may have comprised:

C4: #Ay428_CrudeOil_Gr625_CrudeOil_500_12_buy_%

Thus, the communication protocol may allow users to directly messageeach other by including each other's user identifiers in communications,and may further allow users to signal agreement to, or rejection of,specific proposals. If transaction details that are proposed viasupplementary elements of the communication protocol are rejected, usersmay propose different prices/lots via supplementary elements. Forexample, user Ay428 may then transmit a new communication C6 thatproposes a different price for the financial instrument:

C6: #Ay428_CrudeOil_500_10_sell.

C6 indicates that user Ay428 is interested in selling 500 units (orlots, or shares) at a price of 10 of the financial instrument CrudeOil.

In some embodiments, the communication protocol allows a user to specifya counterparty by listing a counterparty's user identifier 420 in thesupplementary protocol elements of the communication protocol.

Accordingly, the process 500 illustrates an example of the use of thecommunication protocol and integration application that allows two usersusing incompatible communication clients (e.g., communicationclients/chat applications on two different communication platforms) todiscover other parties interested in trading a common financialinstrument (conveyed through the primary elements of communicationprotocol 400), negotiate on the terms of the transaction (conveyedthrough the supplementary elements of communication protocol 400), andagree to or come to a commitment (conveyed through a resolution elementof communication protocol 400) despite using disparate, incompatiblecommunication platforms. Without the integration clients and theintegration application, communications entered into the communicationclient 306 of communication platform 302 would not be conveyed tocommunication client 310 of communication client 304.

It should be appreciated that the use of the communication protocol overthe integration application requires the users to register with theexchange computing system ahead of time, and to understand the syntax,meaning and proper use of the disclosed communication protocol.

As noted above, each user registered with the integration applicationmay be associated with a user profile that specifies settings andpreferences associated with that user. For example, a user may wish toreceive all communications related to financial instruments that theuser has expressed an interest in (e.g., by sending a communicationlisting the financial instrument in the primary protocol elements)during the business day. Or, the user may wish to receive allcommunications related to financial instruments that the user hasexpressed an interest in (e.g., by sending a communication listing thefinancial instrument in the primary protocol elements) during the pasthour. Moreover, a user may specify an amount of time that his or hercommunication remains alive in the database 322. For example, a user mayspecify that a communication should only be discoverable or retrievablefor 2 hours after the communication has been added to the database 322.If a second user accepts a first user's proposal for a trade after aspecified time threshold (specified by the first user) has expired, theintegration application does not validate the second user's acceptance.

In one embodiment, the integration application allows a user to specify,via user profile settings, both what they want to see from others, andwhat, of their communications, they want others to see. The systemreconciles the cross-permissions of all users when relayingcommunications. This could be based on financial instrument, user, etc.,e.g., a user A can specify that he/she only wants user B and C (who maybe using communication clients on different communication platforms thanuser A) to see user A's offers related to oil and gas, whereas users C,D, and E can see user A's offers related to gold. User A can alsospecify that user A only wants to see communications from users C and E,or only those communications related to gold.

The disclosed embodiments also contemplate enabling users to specifycredit based filtering, where the integration application filterscommunications sent to a user based on the credit rating of each userand counter-party credit preferences of a user. For example, a user Amay be able to further specify that his/her communications are onlyavailable/transmitted to users with a credit rating of A or higher. UserA can also specify that he/she should only receive communications fromusers with a credit rating of B or higher (or lower), etc.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example flowchart of an example computerimplemented method 600. Embodiments may involve all, more or feweractions than the illustrated actions. The actions may be performed inthe order or sequence shown, or in a different sequence. The actions maybe performed simultaneously, or in a parallel or overlapping fashion.The method may be performed by processing logic that may comprisehardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software, or a combinationof both. In one example, the method is performed by the computer system100 of FIG. 1, while in some other examples, some or all of the methodmay be performed by another machine.

At step 602, method 600 includes monitoring, by a processor,communications over a plurality of communication platforms. For example,an integration application, in conjunction with a plurality ofintegration clients installed on communication clients across multiplecommunication platforms, many monitor the communications being enteredinto the communication clients.

At step 604, method 600 includes detecting, by the processor, that afirst communication entered into a first communication client of a firstcommunication platform corresponds to a communication protocol, thefirst communication including a protocol identifier and a plurality ofprimary protocol elements including a first user identifier and aninstrument identifier. At step 606, method 600 includes storing, by theprocessor, in a database, the first communication.

At step 608, method 600 includes detecting, by the processor, that asecond communication entered into a second communication client of asecond communication platform corresponds to the communication protocol,the second communication including the protocol identifier and aplurality of primary protocol elements including a second useridentifier and the instrument identifier. At step 610, method 600includes storing, by the processor, in the database, the secondcommunication.

At step 612, method 600 includes retrieving, by the processor, from thedatabase, previously detected communications entered into any of thecommunication clients associated with any of the communication platformsand including the instrument identifier associated with the secondcommunication, including retrieving the first communication. Forexample, the integration application may be configured to retrieve otherpreviously received/detected communications related to the financialinstrument that is identified in the first communication.

At step 614, method 600 includes transmitting, by the processor, theretrieved first communication to the second communication client.

In one embodiment, method 600 may further include detecting, by theprocessor, that a third communication entered into the secondcommunication client corresponds to the communication protocol, thethird communication including the second communication and at least onesupplementary protocol element; storing, by the processor, in thedatabase, the third communication; and transmitting, by the processor,the third communication to the first communication client. Thesupplementary protocol element may include one of a quantity, a price,and a directionality for a proposed trade.

In one embodiment, method 600 may further include detecting, by theprocessor, that a fourth communication entered into the firstcommunication client corresponds to the communication protocol, thefourth communication including the third communication, and a firstresolution protocol element; storing, by the processor, in the database,the fourth communication; and transmitting, by the processor, the fourthcommunication to the second communication client.

In one embodiment, method 600 may further include detecting, by theprocessor, that a fifth communication entered into the secondcommunication client corresponds to the communication protocol, thefifth communication including the fourth communication, and a secondresolution protocol element; generating, by the processor, a sixthcommunication; and transmitting, by the processor, the sixthcommunication to the first and second communication clients. The sixthcommunication may be a trade execution confirmation indicating to theusers of the first and second communication clients that their proposedtrade, i.e., their bilateral transaction, has been matched and executed.

In one embodiment, method 600 may further include generating, by theprocessor, an executed trade; and transmitting the executed trade to aclearinghouse computing system.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may notbe drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may beexaggerated, while other proportions may be minimized. Accordingly, thedisclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative ratherthan restrictive.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the invention or of what may beclaimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particularembodiments of the invention. Certain features that are described inthis specification in the context of separate embodiments can also beimplemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures that are described in the context of a single embodiment canalso be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in anysuitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be describedas acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such,one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases beexcised from the combination, and the claimed combination may bedirected to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings and describedherein in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiringthat such operations be performed in the particular order shown or insequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, toachieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation ofvarious system components in the described embodiments should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be usedto interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition,in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be groupedtogether or described in a single embodiment for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed toless than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus,the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimedsubject matter.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description beregarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understoodthat it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that areintended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.

1. A computer implemented method comprising: monitoring, by a processor,communications via a first communication platform configured to transmitcommunications only between communication clients associated therewithand via a second communications platform configured to transmitcommunications only between communications clients associated therewith;storing, by the processor, in a database coupled therewith, a copy of afirst unsolicited communication communicated by a first sender via thefirst communication platform based on detection, by the processor, of aprotocol identifier within the first unsolicited communicationindicative of the first unsolicited communication corresponding to acommunication protocol, the first unsolicited communication including afirst user identifier and a first instrument identifier; storing, by theprocessor, in the database, a copy of a second unsolicited communicationcommunicated by a second sender via the second communication platformbased on detection, by the processor, of the protocol identifier withinthe second unsolicited communication indicative of the secondunsolicited communication corresponding to the communication protocol,the second unsolicited communication including a second user identifierand a second instrument identifier identical to the first instrumentidentifier; transmitting, by the processor via the second communicationsplatform to the second sender from the database based on the secondunsolicited communication, any previously stored communications whichincludes an instrument identifier identical to the second instrumentidentifier; storing, by the processor, in the database, a copy of athird communication communicated via the second communication platformdetermined by the processor to correspond to the communication protocoland to be responsive to the first unsolicited communication; andtransmitting, by the processor via the first communication platform, thethird communication to the first sender.
 2. The computer implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the third communication further includes oneof a quantity, a price, and a directionality for a proposed trade. 3.The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and secondunsolicited communications comprise data indicative of interest in atransaction related to an instrument identified by the first and secondinstrument identifiers, and the third communication comprises dataindicative of a request for the transaction, the method furthercomprising: storing, by the processor, in the database, a copy of afourth communication communicated by the first sender determined by theprocessor to correspond to the communication protocol and to beresponsive to the third communication and comprises data indicative ofan acceptance of the transaction; and transmitting, by the processor viathe second communication platform, the fourth communication to thesecond sender.
 4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, furthercomprising: generating, by the processor, an executed trade; andtransmitting the executed trade to a clearinghouse computing system. 5.The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting ofthe previously stored communications further comprises retrieving, bythe processor from the database based on the second unsolicitedcommunication and further based on first and second profiles, anypreviously stored communications communicated via a communicationsplatform monitored by the processor which includes an instrumentidentifier identical to the second instrument identifier and whichsatisfied both the first and second profiles, the first profilespecifying, for the first sender, which communications received from thefirst sender may be provided to other senders, and the second profilespecifying, for the second sender, which communications received fromother senders are to be provided to the second sender.
 6. The computerimplemented method of claim 5, wherein the first and second profileseach further specify credit criteria, the first profile specifying, forthe first sender, that communications received from the first sender maybe provided to only to other senders which satisfy the specified creditcriteria of the first profile, and the second profile specifying, forthe second sender, that only communications received from other senderswhich satisfy the specified credit criteria of the second profile are tobe provided to the second sender.
 7. The computer implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein the processor implements a graphic user interface forreceiving communications from the first and second senders.
 8. Acomputer system comprising: a chat monitor configured to monitorcommunications via a first communication platform configured to transmitcommunications only between communication clients associated therewithand via a second communications platform configured to transmitcommunications only between communications clients associated therewith;a parser coupled to the chat monitor and configured to: store in adatabase coupled with the parser a copy of a first unsolicitedcommunication communicated by a first sender via the first communicationplatform based on detection of a protocol identifier within the firstunsolicited communication indicative of the first unsolicitedcommunication corresponding to a communication protocol, the firstunsolicited communication including a first user identifier and a firstinstrument identifier; store in the database a copy of a secondunsolicited communication communicated by a second sender via the secondcommunication platform based on detection of the protocol identifierwithin the second unsolicited communication indicative of the secondunsolicited communication corresponding to the communication protocol,the second unsolicited communication including a second user identifierand a second instrument identifier identical to the first instrumentidentifier; transmit, via the second communications platform to thesecond sender from the database based on the second unsolicitedcommunication, any previously stored communications which includes aninstrument identifier identical to the second instrument identifier;store in the database a copy of a third communication communicated viathe second communication platform determined to correspond to thecommunication protocol and to be responsive to the first unsolicitedcommunication; and transmit, via the first communication platform, thethird communication to the first sender.
 9. The computer system of claim8, wherein the first and second unsolicited communications comprise dataindicative of interest in a transaction related to an instrumentidentified by the first and second instrument identifiers, and the thirdcommunication comprises data indicative of a request for thetransaction, the parser being further configured to: store in thedatabase a copy of a fourth communication communicated by the firstsender determined to correspond to the communication protocol and to beresponsive to the third communication and comprises data indicative ofan acceptance of the transaction; and transmit, via the secondcommunication platform, the fourth communication to the second sender.10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the parser is furtherconfigured to retrieve from the database, based on the secondunsolicited communication and further based on first and secondprofiles, any previously stored communications communicated via acommunications platform monitored by the computer system which includesan instrument identifier identical to the second instrument identifierand which satisfied both the first and second profiles, the firstprofile specifying, for the first sender, which communications receivedfrom the first sender may be provided to other senders, and the secondprofile specifying, for the second sender, which communications receivedfrom other senders are to be provided to the second sender.
 11. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first and secondprofiles each further specify credit criteria, the first profilespecifying, for the first sender, that communications received from thefirst sender may be provided to only to other senders which satisfy thespecified credit criteria of the first profile, and the second profilespecifying, for the second sender, that only communications receivedfrom other senders which satisfy the specified credit criteria of thesecond profile are to be provided to the second sender.
 12. The computersystem of claim 8, wherein the chat monitor comprises a graphic userinterface for receiving communications from the first and secondsenders.
 13. A computer system comprising: a processor; and a memorycommunicatively coupled to the processor, the memory comprising softwarethat, when executed by the processor, performs operations that cause theprocessor to: monitor communications via a first communication platformconfigured to transmit communications only between communication clientsassociated therewith and via a second communications platform configuredto transmit communications only between communications clientsassociated therewith; store in a database coupled with the processor acopy of a first unsolicited communication communicated by a first sendervia the first communication platform based on detection of a protocolidentifier within the first unsolicited communication indicative of thefirst unsolicited communication corresponding to a communicationprotocol, the first unsolicited communication including a first useridentifier and a first instrument identifier; store in the database acopy of a second unsolicited communication communicated by a secondsender via the second communication platform based on detection of theprotocol identifier within the second unsolicited communicationindicative of the second unsolicited communication corresponding to thecommunication protocol, the second unsolicited communication including asecond user identifier and a second instrument identifier identical tothe first instrument identifier; transmit, via the second communicationsplatform to the second sender from the database based on the secondunsolicited communication, any previously stored communications whichincludes an instrument identifier identical to the second instrumentidentifier; store in the database a copy of a third communicationcommunicated via the second communication platform determined tocorrespond to the communication protocol and to be responsive to thefirst unsolicited communication; and transmit, via the firstcommunication platform, the third communication to the first sender. 14.The computer system of claim 13, wherein the third communication furtherincludes supplementary protocol elements including one of a quantity, aprice, and a directionality for a proposed trade.
 15. The computersystem of claim 13, wherein the first and second unsolicitedcommunications comprise data indicative of interest in a transactionrelated to an instrument identified by the first and second instrumentidentifiers, and the third communication comprises data indicative of arequest for the transaction, the software that, when executed by theprocessor, performs further operations that cause the processor to:store in the database a copy of a fourth communication communicated bythe first sender determined to correspond to the communication protocoland to be responsive to the third communication and comprises dataindicative of an acceptance of the transaction; and transmit, via thesecond communication platform, the fourth communication to the secondsender.
 16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the software that,when executed by the processor, performs further operations that causethe processor to: generate an executed trade; and transmit the executedtrade to a clearinghouse computing system.
 17. The computer system ofclaim 13, wherein the transmission of the previously storedcommunications further comprises retrieval from the database based onthe second unsolicited communication and further based on first andsecond profiles, any previously stored communications communicated via acommunications platform monitored by the computer system which includesan instrument identifier identical to the second instrument identifierand which satisfied both the first and second profiles, the firstprofile specifying, for the first sender, which communications receivedfrom the first sender may be provided to other senders, and the secondprofile specifying, for the second sender, which communications receivedfrom other senders are to be provided to the second sender.
 18. Thecomputer system of claim 17, wherein the first and second profiles eachfurther specify credit criteria, the first profile specifying, for thefirst sender, that communications received from the first sender may beprovided to only to other senders which satisfy the specified creditcriteria of the first profile, and the second profile specifying, forthe second sender, that only communications received from other senderswhich satisfy the specified credit criteria of the second profile are tobe provided to the second sender.
 19. The computer system of claim 13,wherein the processor implements a graphic user interface for receivingcommunications from the first and second senders.
 20. A computer systemcomprising: means for monitoring communications via a firstcommunication platform configured to transmit communications onlybetween communication clients associated therewith and via a secondcommunications platform configured to transmit communications onlybetween communications clients associated therewith; means for storingin a database a copy of a first unsolicited communication communicatedby a first sender via the first communication platform based ondetection of a protocol identifier within the first unsolicitedcommunication indicative of the first unsolicited communicationcorresponding to a communication protocol, the first unsolicitedcommunication including a first user identifier and a first instrumentidentifier; means for storing in the database a copy of a secondunsolicited communication communicated by a second sender via the secondcommunication platform based on detection of the protocol identifierwithin the second unsolicited communication indicative of the secondunsolicited communication corresponding to the communication protocol,the second unsolicited communication including a second user identifierand a second instrument identifier identical to the first instrumentidentifier; means for transmitting, via the second communicationsplatform to the second sender from the database based on the secondunsolicited communication, any previously stored communications whichincludes an instrument identifier identical to the second instrumentidentifier; means for storing in the database, a copy of a thirdcommunication communicated via the second communication platformdetermined to correspond to the communication protocol and to beresponsive to the first unsolicited communication; and means fortransmitting, via the first communication platform, the thirdcommunication to the first sender.